Things don't happen very fast around my garden. Last week-end I finally got around to putting some wire up, and starting to espalier these young, dwarf apple trees along the side of the edible garden area that my family calls 'England' (I know, you can barely see them! They'll look better when they're leafed out.) But my point is, this was a long time coming:
3 years ago in March 2009, I posted this sketch showing my idea for espaliered trees and raised beds along the fence:
Then in August 2010 we built some raised beds in the middle of the area, which is a former RV parking pad:
...and last summer we had our first real veggie garden since we moved to this house, and finally I planted the little baby dwarf apple trees last fall.
You can go to the Edible Gardens section of this blog and scroll down if you'd like to see how this garden has progressed over the years. I still have several things to get done, including building more raised beds between the trees against the fence, planting more groundcovers around and between the stepping stones, and maybe even adding a decoration or two to the fence.
So my second point is, if the idea of transforming your yard into a place of beauty and bounty is feeling a little overwhelming, remember that you don't have to do it all in one year. But it is good to have a plan!
This is on my list of things to do next summer! I can't wait to see your trees leafed out!
Posted by: Paula H. | March 27, 2012 at 07:31 AM
Sounds great, Paula! The planning is half the fun, isn't it?
Janice
Posted by: Calgary Garden Coach | March 27, 2012 at 07:51 AM
Great idea! Where did you get these types of trees?
Posted by: Paul | March 27, 2012 at 08:23 PM
I wish we could also grow apple trees on our backyard.
Posted by: alice | April 10, 2012 at 10:03 PM
Paul, I ordered these last spring from T&T seeds, but you could also check the local garden centres to see what they have. Definitely get a dwarf variety if you don't have much space.
Alice, when grown like this they don't require much space at all! But you do need some good soil and some sun.
Cheers,
Janice
Posted by: Calgary Garden Coach | April 11, 2012 at 09:42 AM
So these were Bareroot apple trees? How much longer will they take to fruit?
Posted by: anita | May 18, 2013 at 12:35 AM